HOPE HOPE Autumn Edition 2021
Zakat Edition 2021
Hasnat Khawar - Cancer Survivor from Abbottabad Today, my son is able to enjoy childhood and he has the chance to live life to the full, only because of a miraculous institution, which is the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre. My son’s cancer journey began nearly a decade ago. As a mother, I always kept a close eye on Hasnat, who is my first child. He was two years old when I noticed his skin had become very pale. Intermittent fevers kept him awake at night and I became increasingly worried about his health. I took him to a local doctor who ran a few tests and, suspecting blood cancer, referred us to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC), in Lahore. My husband worked overseas in a security company and we did not have enough resources to pay for unexpected health expenditure, let alone for a complex and expensive disease like cancer. In a daze, surrounded by dark clouds of uncertainty, we reached the Walk-in Clinic of SKMCH&RC, Lahore, in November 2012. I distinctly remember two occasions after reaching the Hospital that are forever etched in my memory. The first unforgettable moment was hearing the news that Hasnat was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a type of blood cancer. Nothing can prepare a parent for news such as this, which hits you as though you had slammed into a brick wall, shattering your world almost instantaneously. The
Hasnat receiving chemotherapy at SKMCH&RC, Lahore Hasnat receiving chemotherapy
at SKMCH&RC, Lahore
HOPE-Autumn Edition 2021
Hasnat with his Dada
second memorable moment was a feeling of immense relief upon learning that the Hospital would provide treatment free of charge to my son. This meant that we could focus all our attention on Hasnat, without having to worry about the cost of the next chemotherapy cycle. Hasnat’s active cancer treatment began without any delay and lasted for three years. During this time, the staff at the Hospital became just like our family. We took courage from seeing other patients becoming better and going home. During this time, his dada (paternal grandfather) used to accompany him for chemotherapy sessions because I had to stay at home with my other children, who were also very young. His dada became his best friend and this experience strengthened their special bond. Today, Hasnat is eleven years old and is doing well in school, where he is now in class five. He is a happy, active and outgoing child. He has two younger brothers and he loves to play cricket with them. Hasnat’s experiences at Shaukat Khanum Hospital have transformed his personality in a number of ways, not least in that he appears to have internalised a sense of compassion, from observing the nurses at the Hospital. I feel immensely grateful that the experience of cancer has positively inspired my son. His doctors, who were always so kind to him have also left a lasting impression on him, in that he hopes to train to become a doctor himself, some day!
Surgical Oncology Services Commence at SKMCH&RC, Peshawar The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Peshawar has completed the third and final phase of its development with the commencement of surgical oncology services at the hospital. The Chairman of our Board of Governors, and Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan, visited the Hospital on Friday the 6th of August, 2021 to inaugurate the newly established operating room suite and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Patients from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and adjoining areas were already being treated with chemotherapy and radiation at the Hospital. With the inauguration of surgical services, those of our patients who had to undertake the long and physically as well as financially exhausting journey to Lahore in order to have complex cancer surgery will now be able to receive all their cancer treatment closer to home and under one roof. During his visit, Mr Imran Khan appealed to the supporters of our cause to donate generously so that the two existing hospitals can continue to treat an ever-increasing number of cancer patients
Mr. Imran Khan, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the SKM Trust being briefed on the newly inaugurated operating room suite. Dr. Aasim Yusuf, the Acting CEO, and Dr. Syed Irfan Kabir, Consultant Hepato-biliary Surgeon, are also present.
free of charge; and so as to allow the new hospital in Karachi to open its doors to patients in December 2023, as planned.
SKMCH&RC, Lahore achieves re-accreditation by the JCI The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore has been re-accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI). The comprehensive re-accreditation survey was held from the 15th to the 19th of March, 2021, with a team of expert surveyors from the Joint Commission International evaluating compliance to hospital standards. Of note is the fact that SKMCH&RC, Lahore, was surveyed against new and far more stringent standards set by the JCI in its 7th edition of standards. The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust is proud of the fact that of the four JCI-accredited hospitals in Pakistan, two are hospitals of the Shaukat Khanum healthcare system, a feat that is all the more remarkable since these are the only charitable hospitals in the country to achieve such recognition. SKMCH&RC, Lahore, first achieved JCI accreditation in 2018, while SKMCH&RC, Peshawar was so accredited in 2019. JCI-accredited hospitals under
go a repeat survey every thirty-six months. The award of re-accreditation by the JCI testifies to the fact that we have been true to our word in providing world-class cancer care to all our patients, over 75% of whom are treated entirely free of charge.
SKMCH&RC, Karachi - Construction in progress
The structural works on SKMCH&RC, Karachi are progressing according to planned project timelines
Construction of Pakistan's third Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, in DHA City, Karachi, is progressing according to the planned project time-lines. As we go into print, structural work on the lower ground, ground and first floor are close to completion. The lower ground floor will house the clinical and radiation oncology department, which has ten bunkers for radiation machines and the department of nuclear medicine. The radiology department, the outpatient clinics, the emergency assessment unit, pharmacy and cafeteria will be located on the ground floor and the first floor will house the chemotherapy bays, the bone marrow transplant unit, the endoscopy unit, the pathology lab and the blood bank.
Even during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, SKMCH&RC remains committed to bringing state-of-the-art and comprehensive cancer care closer to patients, especially for the people of Sindh and Southern Balochistan. The third Hospital is being constructed based on our experience of running two tertiary care cancer centres for over two decades, according to international healthcare standards. It will be equipped with the latest in medical technology and staffed by highly-trained professionals. The new hospital will continue the legacy of SKMCH&RC in Lahore and Peshawar, and all patients will receive the best possible curative and palliative therapy, irrespective of their ability to pay.
Dr. Kashif Sajjad, Associate Medical Director of SKMCH&RC, Peshawar, giving a tour of the Hospital to a delegation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
A cancer patient at SKMCH&RC Lahore, receiving Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer, provided by the Government of Pakistan for immune-compromised patients.
PLEASE DEPOSIT YOUR ZAKAT, SADQAT AND DONATIONS AT ANY OF OUR REGIONAL OFFICES GIVEN BELOW